The new Jessica Ennis? Katarina Johnson-Thompson aiming high in new year

This month, Metro is picking out some youngsters who could make a real impact on the world of sport in 2013.

Here, Matthew Nash looks at the hopes resting on the young shoulders of Katarina Johnson-Thompson ahead of the 2013 athletics season.

THE NEXT JESS?
Ever since Katarina Johnson-Thompson broke Jessica Ennis’ British junior heptathlon record in Italy last May, the Liverpudlian has been tipped as the Olympic champion’s natural successor. Johnson-Thompson’s haul of 6,007 points in Desenzano del Garda not only smashed Ennis’ previous mark, it also gave her the ‘B’ standard for London 2012. Just a month later, she recorded 6,248 points in the Czech Republic, booking her place at the Games via the ‘A’ standard. World junior long jump gold just underlined her potential and she went on to finish a creditable 15th in London. She was second in the high jump and set three new personal bests in achieving 6,267 points [Ennis’ winning score was 6,955].

WHAT’S NEXT?
As Johnson-Thompson admits, she has options this summer, with the European Under-23 Championships and senior world championships on the horizon. But it is the 2016 Rio Olympics – and beyond – which fires her. ‘London was hopefully a taste of what’s to come,’ she admits. ‘Next year will be my first as a senior and I want to keep improving right up to Rio. And then there’s the 2020 Olympics too. I’ll only be 23 by Rio.’

WHAT THE CHAMP SAYS
‘Katarina really is a fantastic talent who is only going to get better,’ admits Ennis. ‘That’s quite scary, that she’s going to going up and up and I’ll be going down, so we might meet in the middle but I think I’d have to move into another event or retire before that happened.’

Jess Ennis (centre) is frightened by the prospect of taking on KJT (left) in her prime (Picture: Getty)

BEST EVENTS
The long jump – Johnson-Thompson won gold at the world junior championships in 2012.
The high jump – Second place at the Olympics aged just 19 bodes well for the future.

STILL TO WORK ON
100m hurdles – Johnson-Thompson says there is ‘work to be done’ over the hurdles and that she has a ‘really, really slow start’.
Shot putt and javelin – It is these events in which she has most improvement to make.

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